Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Much has been said about the continued escalation of disasters, impacting negatively on the people’s livelihoods; mostly the poor. However, not enough is done to minimise or reduce the vulnerability of the people to risks as evidenced by the increasing numbers of disaster victims locally, nationwide and globally (Sahoo, 2005; Humby, 2012, Niekerk, 2005; Heijmans, 2008 and Cannon, 1994). The increasing disaster strikes in the City of Cape Town remain a major challenge to the surrounding communities (Cape Argus, 27 August 2012; Radar, 2010; Pillay, 2012 and Humby, 2012). Despite the expiry of the United Nations’ declaration of the period 1990-99 as ‘the decade for natural disaster risk reduction in 1999, the years after the declaration were characterised by increased disaster strikes globally (Niekerk, 2005; GTZ, 2002; UNDP, 2004 and Alexander, 2006). Although, new global commitments such as the 2005-15 Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) which targeted to minimise disaster risks by 2015, very little has changed as people are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to risks than before (Niekerk, 2005; Heijmans, 2008; Alexander, 2006 and Radar, 2010). South Africa’s statistics on past recorded disaster events from the eighties to the present, show the same increased trend in the loss of property and human capital. For example, in South Africa, the period from 1980 to 2010 recorded 77 disaster strikes with a total of 1869 people being killed and negatively affecting 18 million livelihoods nationwide (Humby, 2012). Given such high figures of casualties, the negative impact of disaster remains one of South Africa’s major challenges as it curtails sustainable development. It is against this background that the study embarked on an investigation to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of the City of Cape Town Metro Municipal local government’s approaches to disaster risks. The principal objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the City of Cape Municipal Government in addressing the persistent disaster risks through a proper implementation of the core disaster principles of risk reduction, prevention and mitigation, as well as the post-disaster activities of preparedness, rehabilitation, response and recovery. The specific objectives of the study are: (i) to assess whether incorporating disaster risk management into the integrated developing plan (IDP) has the potential to mitigate or prevent disasters; (ii) to examine the extent to which the City of Cape Town can make use of the principle of co-operative governance and assistance in disaster risk management; and (iii) to evaluate the impact of public participation in disaster risk mitigation, prevention and reduction. The study employed an integrated approach to data gathering. Sources of data included government acts, policies, internet sources and journal articles were included. These sources were supplemented by individual interviews with disaster officials and community members. From the investigation, the study found that neither government nor the community can successfully manage to reduce, prevent or mitigate the impact of disasters. The study found out that collaboration between communities, and the government would help resolve the situation, with the private sectors taking a facilitative role than working separately. The study then emphasizes that a collaborative approach by different stakeholders would work well only if public participation and co-operative governance are institutionalised in the various sectors of the City of Cape Town.

<div>Cities face significant challenges in developing urban infrastructure systems in an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable manner, with rapid urbanization and increasing frequency of shocks (e.g., climate hazards, epidemics). The complex and dynamic interdependencies among urban social, technical, institutional, and natural components could cause disruptions to cascade across systems, and lead to heterogeneous recovery outcomes across communities and regions. Large scale data collected from mobile devices, including mobile phone GPS data, web search data, and social media data, allow us to observe urban dynamics before, during, and after disaster events in an unprecedented spatial-temporal granularity and scale. Despite these opportunities, we lack data-driven methods to understand the underlying mechanisms that govern the recovery and resilience of cities to shocks.</div><div>Such dynamical models, in contrast to static index based metrics of resilience, will allow us to test the effects of policies on the heterogeneous post-disaster recovery trajectories across space and time. </div><div><br></div><div>In this dissertation, I studied the recovery dynamics and resilience of urban systems to disasters using a large-scale human-centered data-driven modeling approach, with particular emphasis on the complex interdependencies among social, economic, and infrastructure systems. First, statistical analysis of large-scale human mobility data collected from over 1 million mobile phone devices in five major disaster events across the globe, revealed universal population recovery processes across regions and disasters, including disproportionate disaster effects based on income inequalities and urban-rural divide. Second, human mobility data are used to infer the recovery of various socio-economic systems after disasters. Using Bayesian causal inference models, regional and business sectoral inequalities in disaster recovery are quantified. Finally, the analysis on social, economic, and physical recovery were integrated into a dynamical model of coupled urban systems, which captures the bi-directional interdependencies among socio-economic and physical infrastructure systems during disaster recovery. Using the model and data collected from Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, a trade-off relationship in urban development is revealed, where developed cities with robust centralized infrastructure systems have higher recovery efficiency of critical services, however, have socio-economic networks with lower self-reliance during crises, which lead to loss of community resilience. Managing and balancing the socio-economic self-reliance alongside physical infrastructure robustness is key to resilience. </div><div><br></div><div>The proposed models and results presented in this dissertation lay the scientific foundations of urban complexity and resilience, encouraging us to move towards dynamical and complex systems modeling approaches, from conventional static index-based resilience metrics. Big data-driven, dynamical complex systems modeling approaches enable quantitative understanding of the underlying disaster recovery process (e.g., interdependencies, feedbacks, cascading effects) across large spatial and temporal time scales. The approach is capable of proposing community-based policies for urban resilience via cross-regional comparisons and counterfactual scenario testing of various policy levers. </div>

Disasters are always local in their impact, and therefore approaches towards their alleviation need to be designed and implemented based on this certainty. Since the 1960s there has been a constant evolution in the common understanding of international disaster management. Various measures and structures were created to plan for emergency relief and the management of a disastrous event. Despite international efforts which aimed to reduce the impact of natural and anthropogenic hazards on humankind, very little progress was made. Loss of life, property, infrastructure and economic livelihoods are on the increase without any indication of improvement. Developmental activities can in most instances be blamed for the high level of disaster risk present in communities. On the other hand, very little has been done in the international arena (through a multi-disciplinary approach) to ensure a developmental focus on disaster risk. This study investigates the current state of disaster management practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) by benchmarking its activities against established frameworks applied in the developed world for disaster management. The aim of this thesis was primarily to provide a comprehensive framework for disaster risk management in KSA. Such a framework will serve as a guideline for all spheres of government on a strategic level in order to implement disaster risk management. Conclusions to the research demonstrate the importance of linking government policy and practice on disaster risk management across different stakeholders involved in managing disaster risk. This study proposed an integrated model for disaster management by introducing the dual paradigm of disaster management (proactive mindset and reactive mindset). In a nutshell, this thesis aimed to develop a comprehensive multi-disciplinary disaster risk management framework that would be tailor-made for the strategic management arena in Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior (Directorate of Civil Defence). The research provides the reader with a background study on the international development of the concept of disaster risk management and its components. It focuses on disaster risk management within the Saudi Arabian context. Four international disaster risk management frameworks are analytically compared and aligned with international best practices. Subsequently, the proposed Framework for Disaster in Saudi Arabia is analysed.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Greater capacity for cities to be disaster resilient is needed. Public-private partnership enhances municipal capacity. This study therefore, interrogates the relationship between the City of Cape Town and its disaster relief partners. It is mainly concerned with policy implementation, and as such, investigates disaster management policy implementation in relation to public-private partnerships. The objectivesof the study were to provide a conceptual framework that defines the terms eminent in the practice and study of disaster management, particularly those that characterize public-private partnerships in the City of Cape Town; to explore the legislative mandate that makes provisions for disaster management and the funding of public-private partnerships in municipalities; to document the current practice of public-private partnerships in the City of Cape Town; to highlight noted challenges in the partnership and where necessary, recommend alternative policy implementation options for enhanced partnership sustainable capacity for disaster relief. The researcher deemed it expedient to utilize the qualitative method for the purposes of the adeptness it affords in expediting malleable, arduous investigation in engaging with the phenomena that “unfold[s] in real-world situations.” As far as the findings of this study are concerned, the public-private partnership of the City of Cape Town with its disaster relief partners is a successful one. It is effective in bringing the much needed awareness and relief to devastated communities. There are four main challenges that impact on this disaster relief partnership have been realized by this study. These namely are the delays in the reimbursement process, the constant change of government personnel dealing with relief partners, absence of a disaster relief official on the sites of distress and unsubsidized expenses incurred by the relief partners. Having realized these challenges, the study makes policy implementation recommendations.

Disasters are always local in their impact, and therefore approaches towards their alleviation need to be designed and implemented based on this certainty. Since the 1960s there has been a constant evolution in the common understanding of international disaster management. Various measures and structures were created to plan for emergency relief and the management of a disastrous event. Despite international efforts which aimed to reduce the impact of natural and anthropogenic hazards on humankind, very little progress was made. Loss of life, property, infrastructure and economic livelihoods are on the increase without any indication of improvement. Developmental activities can in most instances be blamed for the high level of disaster risk present in communities. On the other hand, very little has been done in the international arena (through a multi-disciplinary approach) to ensure a developmental focus on disaster risk. This study investigates the current state of disaster management practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) by benchmarking its activities against established frameworks applied in the developed world for disaster management. The aim of this thesis was primarily to provide a comprehensive framework for disaster risk management in KSA. Such a framework will serve as a guideline for all spheres of government on a strategic level in order to implement disaster risk management. Conclusions to the research demonstrate the importance of linking government policy and practice on disaster risk management across different stakeholders involved in managing disaster risk. This study proposed an integrated model for disaster management by introducing the dual paradigm of disaster management (proactive mindset and reactive mindset). In a nutshell, this thesis aimed to develop a comprehensive multi-disciplinary disaster risk management framework that would be tailor-made for the strategic management arena in Saudi Arabia¿s Ministry of Interior (Directorate of Civil Defence). The research provides the reader with a background study on the international development of the concept of disaster risk management and its components. It focuses on disaster risk management within the Saudi Arabian context. Four international disaster risk management frameworks are analytically compared and aligned with international best practices. Subsequently, the proposed Framework for Disaster in Saudi Arabia is analysed.

Since 1994, fundamental transformation has taken place in South Africa in terms of disaster risk management. The transformation processes have led to the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002) that was heralded as a new era for disaster risk management in South Africa. Subsequently, the publication of the National Disaster Risk Management Framework (of 2005) provides a set of clear guidelines on the implementation of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002). The National Disaster Risk Management Framework underscores the significance of the integration and co-ordination of disaster risk management activities in all levels of government in South Africa. This emphasises the fact that Disaster risk management in South Africa has been established as a public sector function within each sphere of government. In its KPA1, the framework further emphasis the establishment of integrated disaster risk management structures by each sphere of government. The disaster risk management structures, such as interdepartmental committees and a district forum have not yet been established in the Capricorn District Municipality. In cases where other structures have been established, the main challenge is the participation of all role players and the inconsistency in the representation of local municipality in those structures. Another gap is the lack of clear responsibility of disaster risk management in some of the internal key role players. This dissertation aims to evaluate the implementation of the institutional capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Capricorn District Municipality. This dissertation caters for the reader within the theory of organisation. Subsequently, the disaster risk management structures were discussed, based on the requirements of both the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002) and a National Disaster Risk Management Framework policy document (of 2005). This dissertation made use of the one-on-one semi-structured interviews for data collection in the field of disaster risk management within the Capricorn District Municipality. As regards recommendations, this dissertation suggests a number of points that the Capricorn District Municipality needs to implement in order to fast-track the establishment of disaster risk management structures that could lead to progress in meeting the legislative mandate of Disaster Risk Reduction. / Thesis (M. Development and management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

<p><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"> <p>The objective of the study was to find out whether the decentralisation of responsibulities for social economics development facilitated the management of disaster risk during the 2007 floods in Mozambique. the specific aims of the study were to : analyse <font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3">and discuss national policies for decentralisation and their significance for DRM.&nbsp / Investigate which responsibilities, human and financial resources were available to local governments&nbsp / for the planning, implemantations and monitoring of DRM activities. Identify&nbsp / mechanisms institutions and activities for DRM and&nbsp / find out whether they provided to be effective. Explore how concerned&nbsp / communities participated in DRM activitiesto reduce&nbsp / their vulnerability to disaster risk.&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / </font></font><font face="SymbolMT" size="3"><font face="SymbolMT" size="3"> <p>&nbsp / </p> </font></font>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </font></font></font></font></font></font></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

Since 1994, fundamental transformation has taken place in South Africa in terms of disaster risk management. The transformation processes have led to the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002) that was heralded as a new era for disaster risk management in South Africa. Subsequently, the publication of the National Disaster Risk Management Framework (of 2005) provides a set of clear guidelines on the implementation of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002). The National Disaster Risk Management Framework underscores the significance of the integration and co-ordination of disaster risk management activities in all levels of government in South Africa. This emphasises the fact that Disaster risk management in South Africa has been established as a public sector function within each sphere of government. In its KPA1, the framework further emphasis the establishment of integrated disaster risk management structures by each sphere of government. The disaster risk management structures, such as interdepartmental committees and a district forum have not yet been established in the Capricorn District Municipality. In cases where other structures have been established, the main challenge is the participation of all role players and the inconsistency in the representation of local municipality in those structures. Another gap is the lack of clear responsibility of disaster risk management in some of the internal key role players. This dissertation aims to evaluate the implementation of the institutional capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Capricorn District Municipality. This dissertation caters for the reader within the theory of organisation. Subsequently, the disaster risk management structures were discussed, based on the requirements of both the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002) and a National Disaster Risk Management Framework policy document (of 2005). This dissertation made use of the one-on-one semi-structured interviews for data collection in the field of disaster risk management within the Capricorn District Municipality. As regards recommendations, this dissertation suggests a number of points that the Capricorn District Municipality needs to implement in order to fast-track the establishment of disaster risk management structures that could lead to progress in meeting the legislative mandate of Disaster Risk Reduction. / Thesis (M. Development and management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Communities on Vancouver Island, British Columbia face significant exposure to damaging earthquakes. This seismic risk arises not only from the Island’s proximity to crustal, sub-crustal and subduction earthquake sources in the Cascadia Subduction Zone and from their associated aftershock sequences, but also from environmental (natural and human-made) and social vulnerabilities in Vancouver Island communities and their current capacities to respond and recover from a large seismic event. Seeking to 1) assist community officials and the general public to better understand the scope of the earthquake risk on Vancouver Island; 2) raise awareness of the gaps in Vancouver Island’s risk assessment; 3) encourage and facilitate comprehensive seismic risk discussions at all levels of governance; and 4) offer quantitative data on which to base sound funding and policy decisions, this dissertation offers three new studies, presented in paper format, toward the comprehensive management of seismic risk on Vancouver Island. The first paper, reviews the components of risk and, building on international risk management standards and best practices, develops a new, comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Framework for practitioners. This DRM Framework is then used to review existing knowledge of Vancouver Island’s seismic risk. A number of information gaps are identified, and two in particular, mainshock and aftershock hazard assessment, are targeted for further analysis. / Graduate

<p><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3"> <p>The objective of the study was to find out whether the decentralisation of responsibulities for social economics development facilitated the management of disaster risk during the 2007 floods in Mozambique. the specific aims of the study were to : analyse <font face="Cambria" size="3"><font face="Cambria" size="3">and discuss national policies for decentralisation and their significance for DRM.&nbsp / Investigate which responsibilities, human and financial resources were available to local governments&nbsp / for the planning, implemantations and monitoring of DRM activities. Identify&nbsp / mechanisms institutions and activities for DRM and&nbsp / find out whether they provided to be effective. Explore how concerned&nbsp / communities participated in DRM activitiesto reduce&nbsp / their vulnerability to disaster risk.&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / </font></font><font face="SymbolMT" size="3"><font face="SymbolMT" size="3"> <p>&nbsp / </p> </font></font>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </font></font></font></font></font></font></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>